Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook

’Brutto is actually bellissimo. A perfect cookbook for lovers of true Tuscan food.
Simply brilliant.’
- STANLEY TUCCI

Brutto ma buono - ugly but good. This is the food of Florence - rigorously simple, few ingredients, exceptionally good.

Anchovy with cold butter and sourdough
Penne with tomato and vodka
Sausages with braised lentils and mustard
Roasted squash with borlotti bean and salsa verde
Country-style bread and tomato salad
3-ingredient meringue hazelnut cookies

The food of Florence rests on humble ingredients - not many - brought together in the rough-and-ready style of everyday cooking with flavour at its heart.

This stunning brand-new cookbook offers outstanding recipes from Russell Norman’s acclaimed new restaurant, Trattoria Brutto, alongside an ode to one of Italy’s most beloved cities, Florence, and specifically the bohemian district of Santo Spirito.

Including Russell’s captivating stories and insider advice, Brutto is a proudly fuss-free recipe book to use every day, wherever you are, and an joyous tribute to Italy’s greatest rustic cuisine.

Russell Norman is an award-winning restaurateur, writer and broadcaster, and the founder of the POLPO restaurant group. Norman’s book POLPO - A Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts) won Waterstones Book of the Year 2012. In 2014 he presented The Restaurant Man, a six-part prime-time documentary for BBC2, and his second book SPUNTINO - Comfort Food (New York Style) won the 2016 Guild of Food Writers Award for best food and travel book. He is a contributing editor for Esquire magazine and writes a monthly column as ’The Accidental Cook’. He opened his fully booked Trattoria Brutto in 2021 to universal acclaim and a long waiting list.